* To buy 123,000 T aluminium this year vs 78,000 T in 2008
* Gov't upgrading tender system for foreign suppliers (Adds more details)
SEOUL, Oct 13 (Reuters) - South Korea plans to buy about15,000 more tonnes of primary aluminium by the end of the year,boosting its total annual purchases by 58 percent to 123,000tonnes, a source in the state-run Public Procurement Servicesaid on Tuesday.
The rise in this year's purchases, up from 78,000 tonneslast year, can be attributed to restocking, said the governmentprocurement source, who declined to be named.
The government procurement agency, meanwhile, said in aseparate statement that it was currently upgrading e-Tendersystem to facilitate foreign suppliers' direct participation inits tenders without any Korean agency.
"Foreign suppliers will be able to make direct, real-timeoffers via new system," the first source said.
The government procurement agency expects to cut itsprocurement costs by 700 million won ($600,000) per year byupgrading the tender system. The agency buys about 700 billionwon of raw materials, led by non-ferrous metals.
The system upgrade will be completed this month, and theagency will explain how to use this new tender system in aseminar to be held in London on Wednesday, inviting globaltraders and fund managers who gather in the city during theLondon Metal Exchange's (
LME) annual dinner. ($1=1168.8 Won) (Reporting by Cho Meeyoung; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
